You've done your research and organized your keywords. You have a system in place for ongoing keyword management and growth. This provides a strong foundation for your paid and organic search marketing campaigns. But until you have a good understanding of which keywords really work for your business, you can't learn from your campaigns and improve your results.

The next step is to use keyword analytics to analyze your keywords and monitor results. Keyword analytics allow you to drill down to the level of the keyword group or the single keyword to see which terms drive the most traffic and conversions, as well as which terms are weak performers and nonstarters.

To start refining your research and homing in on your most effective and cost-efficient keywords:

Start using a Web analytics application, if you don't already have one in place. There are some great free analytics tools available, such as Google Analytics. You'll have access to a wealth of valuable information about your site's performance, from page views to bounce rate to keyword referrers.

Where possible,integrate your analytics with your search marketing tools so all that valuable data becomes actionable. This quick video demonstrates how WordStream syncs up with your analytics account to help you make more data-driven marketing decisions.

Keep an eye on which keywords and keyword groups are driving traffic and triggering goals, such as newsletter signups, white paper downloads and, of course, sales. Also note which keywords aren't pulling their weight.

We know your plate is full. With limited time in the day, it's crucial to determine where your time as a search marketer is best spent. In the next section of this guide, we'll explain how to set priorities based on your best-performing keywords.